Window-mounted air conditioners provide a convenient means for cooling room temperatures below ambient temperature. A problem with such window-mounted air conditioners is that window sizes are not standard, so it is necessary to block any portion of the window that is not filled with the air conditioner to both prevent colder room air from escaping outside the room and to prevent dust, insects, rain and other outdoor particles from entering the room.
Typically, this problem is addressed by fitting the window-mounted air conditioner with accordion-like side panels, which can expand to fill the open spaces. These accordion-like side panels, however, have several disadvantages. To maintain proper spacing, they must be held in place by connectors to the window frame, such as screws or tape, which can damage or mar the window frame. In some cases, they may not be appropriately sized to fill the space completely. They are also physically unsightly and difficult to store in the off-season without damaging them.
There is, therefore, a need to provide new means for filling open window space adjacent to a window-mounted air conditioner that overcomes these disadvantages.